City of London sows wildflower meadow to cut carbon

A 42-acre wildflower meadow has been sown in land surrounding Epping Forest, as part of a new scheme from the City of London Corporation to fight climate change.

The meadow was sown as part of the City of London Corporation’s new Carbon Removals Project, which aims to remove carbon from the atmosphere by creating new wildlife habitats across its open spaces.

The project is part of the City Corporation’s wider Climate Action Strategy, which commits to achieving net zero carbon emissions for its own operations by 2027 and supporting the achievement of net zero for the whole Square Mile by 2040.

The wildflower meadow has been planted at Patmore’s Field in High Beach, on previously cultivated but low-quality arable land, with the aim of locking atmospheric carbon into the soil beneath the new permanent grassland and boosting biodiversity by creating new habitats for a range of species.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, Graeme Doshi-Smith, said: ‘Scientific evidence shows that the climate is already changing, and we need to act now if we are to limit global warming.

‘Climate change is a serious issue affecting everyone on the planet. And it’s clear green spaces can play a major role in cutting carbon from the atmosphere. This project demonstrates our commitment to tackling this global problem at a local level and it’s exciting to be making pace with this work.’

Epping Forest receives more than £4m a year from the City of London Corporation to maintain the environment, attracting 4.5 million visits annually.

The woodland has over one million trees, including 50,000 ancient pollards of Beech, Hornbeam and Oak, as well as around 500 rare and endangered insect species.

The new meadow lies close to other flower-rich grasslands in the Forest, so it will increase the value of the Forest for wildlife, for example by providing greater connectivity for pollinating insects.

In related news, a previously derelict section of land around Kendall’s Wharf has been transformed into a wildflower meadow, as part of the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence Scheme, which protects residents and businesses from coastal flooding.

Photo by Eddy Boom